A few weeks ago, Bricks Director, Joseph Loftus, went to Sichuan Province to work with volunteers and the people in charge of the relief and rebuilding efforts in the earthquake stricken areas in Sichuan. In one of those occasions, Fr. Loftus, together with Jinde Charities visited, a camp for the survivors of a middle school in Beichuan County. He took some pictures and some footage of the camp. Here are some of them.
Mr. Wang was looking intently the screensaver, which I thought a little odd. It was an image of “Beautiful Beichuan” viewed from the surrounding hills. Perhaps a little super saturated to heighten the impact of what was clearly a tourist promotional image, but as Mr Wang was on the Beichuan Mayor’s staff, the choice of image was understandable. What made the scene more poignant is that the Beichuan mayor’s “office” is a tent in Anxian, a totally different county, and the city of Beichuan no longer exists. Mr. Wang showed us pictures of the city as it is now, and skewed buildings and reconfigured hills tell the earthquake story all too graphically. Mr. Wang and the rest of the staff seemed to be going about their work rather mechanically with no particular haste, but then it was Sunday afternoon. They had time and seemed willing for us to view the images from their files. Image after gruesome image rolled across the screen. When we finished watching the slide “show”, Mr. Wang showed us a seven minute presentation of the disaster’s impact on the city. The story line was simple and brought together a propaganda video of happy villagers dancing in a tourist paradise with footage of the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. If that were not enough, the presentation concluded with a contrast between the easy laughter of a schools sports day at the local high school on the 11th, with scenes of overwhelming grief of the same school only one day later. I found it hard to watch but felt I owed to our hosts not to turn away from the affecting images.
In time, my colleagues moved on to business and the minutiae of relief work, all attended to, to this observer’s impression, with frankness and efficiency. I tuned in and out of the conversation as the general direction was obvious, and my role in proceedings marginal. Continue Reading »
Dear Friends,
Today we are closing the Brick 7 Wenchuan Earthquake Appeal and will no longer be taking general donations for this terrible disaster. The emergency phase has been completed and now begins the long and difficult task of reconstruction. There will inevitably be projects related to this phase in the future, but they will be considered as distinct “Bricks” Already one is in the planning stage “Brick 8” and we imagine there will be more in the months ahead.
Thank you for your generosity and we will be giving a full report on how the funds were assigned later in the year. In the meantime to follow how Jinde Charities is responding to the Disaster, please see http://www.chinacatholic.org/english/more.asp?ttt=6 for details.
As of today, 10th June, the donations stand as €71,313.31 of which €61,795.85, have already been transferred to Jinde Charities. There are some sums still to arrive in our accounts, and once they have done so the remainder will be transferred also. Thank you for your generosity to this appeal, and please remember the ongoing plight of the people of Sichuan in your prayers.
I used to think I had good French until I drove a car from LeHarvre to Lourdes. I discovered that, while I could rabbit on about the “plume de ma tante” etc, at a fair pace, when it came to the inner workings of the automobile, I was dumbstruck. I barely knew the word for petrol, let alone all the terms that have become commonplace since the man on the Clapham omnibus started driving a model T Ford. One could blame my teachers, but at the time I was learning French, I had no need for such words and didn’t bother to learn them. Now that I need, them, my grey matter seems unwilling to absorb them. That is, as they say, life. Continue Reading »
Bishop Joseph Li Liangui, Bishop of Xianxian (Cangzhou) Diocese, Vice-chairman of Jindes’ Board of Directors, arrived in Shijiazhuang at 4:40 p.m. from the disaster-stricken area in Sichuan Province. Although he was still suffering from the effects of influenza, he gave up his rest for this interview. As a representative of the clergy both at home and abroad, and as a friend of Jinde, he expressed his care and concern to all the victims in the disaster areas. Between 19th and 23rd of May, he visited the first line relief workers and the religious sisters who were serving these victims. The interview was recorded as follows:
Reporter: What is the greatest impression you gained from your visit to the first line workers in the heart of the disaster area?
Bishop Li: The earthquake at Wenchuan has shaken the hearts of all the Chinese people. Jinde Charities has collaborated with various local churches in a joint effort to provide material relief, and to assign religious sisters and volunteers to undertake relief works. This is a very good operation and as I visited these volunteers and nuns, it was very clear that they have been doing a great job. The victims were willing to talk to the sisters, pouring out their grief and sorrow and trusting them as friends. Continue Reading »
From Faith website: Jinde webpage (May 23) In accordance with the urgent needs of the disaster areas, Jinde Charities, in active collaboration with Caritas Germany and the government of Germany, will supply Sichuan disaster areas with big sized civilian tents of high quality.
Mr. Wolfgang of Caritas Germany, stationed in Jinde disaster office of Chengdu, told Faith reporters: “The 4,050 tents worth 8,700,000 RMB are contributions from Caritas Germany and other Caritas and the government of Germany. Our original plan of May 21 was to deliver the tents in two batches, on May 24 and May 26 but in order to facilitate the procedure of hand-over and distribution to the victims; the two chartered planes will now arrive together at Chengdu airport on May 27.”
Fr. Paul Han, vice-director of Jinde said, “On the same day, May 27, the tents will be transported to the disaster areas and distributed to the victims with the help of the Disaster Relief Command Headquarter in Sichuan” Fr. Han also added “The authorities respected and accepted Jinde’s proposal of distribution, 1000 tents to Dujiangyan, 800 to Luoshui town of Shifang city, 550 to Mianzhu city and 800 to An County.”
The Disaster Relief Command Headquarter at Sichuan made the following remark: “Several millions of people are homeless, living in temporary set-up tents and it is raining all these days. It is really a timely intervention for Jinde Charities and its partners to supply these tents as they definitely will benefit the victims.”
Ms. Hu Li Min of Jinde Disaster Relief Office in Chengdu told Faith reporters that there would be a short hand-over ceremony in Sichuan Charity Association Headquarter field office and the respective representatives will be present.
Here is a news clip from a news program in Germany reporting about the work of Caritas International and Jinde Charities in the quake affected areas in Sichuan Province.
On May 19, 2008 Bishop Joseph Li Liangui of Xianxian Diocese and vice-chairman of Jinde Board of Directors held an emergency meeting at Jinde. He later flew that evening to the worst hit areas in Sichuan province accompanied by Fr. Paul Han, vice-director of Jinde Charities and Mr. Wolfgang Gerstner and Ms Christina Grawe of Caritas Germany members. They arrived in Chengdu, provincial capital of Sichuan at midnight and were met by Fr. Li Zhi Gang, administrator of Chengdu Diocese who arranged for their board and lodging.
Early on May 20, despite of the long journey and aftershock tremors, Bishop Li, with the help local people went to Sichuan Deyang city and Shi Fang city to visit the sisters who were giving services to the victims of the disaster. In the afternoon, the team returned to Hongbai town of Shi Fang city, 30 km from Wenchuan, the quake epicenter. They were not able to go visit Wenchuan as the road was blocked. Continue Reading »
The Chinese government has declared the dates May 19-21 as the national days of mourning for the victims of the May 12 Earthquake that rocked Sichuan Province and its neighboring provinces which has claimed more than 32,000 lives so far. The Olympic torch relay has also been suspended during the mourning period. Rescue efforts become dim as the second week of China’s worst disaster in many generations approaches and dozens of aftershocks have been felt throughout the region furthering the damage and diminishing the possibilities of rescue to the few remaining survivors in some of the devastated areas. China’s state run news agency, Xinhua, reported that a magnitude 6 aftershock last Sunday killed 3 people, injured 1,000 more and caused further damage to houses and roads.
The World Health Organization has urged health, relief and rescue officials not to be distracted by the false belief that corpses were a health threat and instead focus on the survivors which are in current lack of clean water, food and medical supplies. WHO also warned of the spread of epidemics.
